Hospital Standard of Care Discussed

What does "standard hospital care" actually mean? What rights do you have as a patient? And what should you know before you or someone you love is discharged or transferred from a hospital?

I'm joined by Gayle Nash, President and CEO of Nash Healthcare Consulting, to take us behind the scenes of the hospital system and explain things most patients and families are never taught.

Gayle brings decades of experience in healthcare. She began her career as a nurse, went on to serve in hospital leadership as a Chief Nursing Officer and Chief Quality Officer, spent 13 years as a Joint Commission nurse surveyor, and has experience surveying for CMS. Today, she works with hospitals and healthcare organizations preparing for accreditation surveys.

We talk about:

• What hospital accreditation actually means

• What The Joint Commission Gold Seal does and does not tell you

• How accreditation relates to Medicare requirements

• What surveyors look at inside a hospital

• What "standard of care" means from a hospital quality and compliance perspective

• Patient rights inside the hospital

• Healthcare Power of Attorney, advance directives, living wills and POLST/MOST forms

• What patients and families should understand about discharge planning